The Friendship Tour 2024

March 1, 2024 Tom Creedy

Want to think deeply about friendship this year? Join Phil Knox, author of 'The Best of Friends', at a bunch of great events!

It is just over a year since we published The Best of Friends. One of the things we learned on the journey is how little we talk about friendship in churches. But in the last year it has felt like things have begun to change.

What I am most encouraged by is the number of churches who have got in touch to tell me they are now teaching on friendship, and moreover, have been making intentional cultural changes to facilitate friend making in their communities – both between believers themselves and connections with not-yet-Christians. For almost a year I’ve preached in a different church every week on the subject, led seminars and weekends away where people have committed afresh to deep relational connection and I’ve eaten a lot of bacon while talking at men’s breakfasts.

Rev Sam Dunn, minister of Melton Mowbray Baptist describes his experience like this:

‘We have been engaging in building great friendships through our small groups, in special events, Sunday sermons, reading The Best of Friends and having Phil come and speak to us all. We have found that as a result the church is healthy, pastoral care happens more naturally and people’s wellbeing and spiritual growth have really come on. It is striking also how much the depth of relationship between us is cited as a reason why people want to know more about Jesus. The world is an increasingly isolated and lonely place, and friendship, Christian friendship as Jesus has demonstrated and shown to us, is the antidote.’

As we emerge from winter, it will not be long before many of us will be packing our bags for familiar (or new) pilgrimages to conferences and festivals. With great joy, we will be exploring God’s heart for friendship at many of them. With Sheridan Voysey, founder of Friendship Lab, we will be celebrating the power of friendship, lamenting the epidemic of loneliness and talking about how we strengthen our relational muscles and develop healthy cultures of depth and meaningful connection. We’d love to see you there at any of the dates below…

10-15 April – Spring Harvest

15 June – Emerge Northern Ireland

12-14 July – Cedarwood Festival

15-16 July – Keswick 

1-2 August – Creationfest

19-25 August – Spring Harvest Holidays

If you can't make it along to one of these events, why not check out Phil's book, 'The Best of Friends', or another recent title, 'Transforming Friendship', by John Wyatt? If you want some great help in introducing friends who don't know Jesus to the friendship with Him that could change their lives, then Phil's debut book 'Story Bearer', is a great read too!